Star Odyssey

Chapter 2001: The Truth

Of course, Lu Yin was merely speculating about everything. It was possible that Whiteless God had just happened to be near Chroma Flowzone. Lu Yin was far from omnipotent, and he certainly could not predict the future. He could only do his best and follow fate.

All Lu Yin had to do next was wait until the Perennial World’s invasion actually entered the Fifth Continent before leaving. Until then, he might be able to run into some old friends or collect some resources, such as the Mother Tree’s bark, though he had no idea who might have something like that.

Given Liu Shaoge's current status in theCelestial Frost Sect, Lu Yin had no worries that he might cross paths with a true expert.

After a few days, Yu Chen went looking for Liu Shaoge. The woman looked rather pathetic.

"Liu Shaoge, I know Elder Xizi told you to keep an eye on me, and I also know you want to replace me to gain power within the Celestial Frost Sect. I can help you," Yu Chen announced the moment she saw Lu Yin.

Lu Yin found this a strange coincidence. After he had fallen into the Perennial World, he had taken on the identity of Long Qi by pure chance and had found himself pitted against Yu Chen. The woman had plotted against him for his entire time in the Perennial World, and yet the woman had since been manipulated by Liu Shaoge. Despite her situation, she seemed willing to help Liu Shaoge gain power. "Why?"

Yu Chen’s hands clenched into fists as a furious expression appeared on her face. "After that Bai Zen found a Semi-Progenitor to follow, he dared suggest that I become his maid! That bastard! How dare some mere lacky and traitor try to make me his maid."

Bai Zen? Lu Yin had no idea who that was. He could not remember anyone with that name from Elder Qing Xing’s memories, nor from the memories he had accessed when he had Possessed Yu Chen’s previous bodyguard in the Perennial World.

"I am the young master's maid, and I will only serve him for the rest of my life. I refuse to serve anyone else," Yu Chen declared, sounding absolutely determined.

Lu Yin glanced at the woman. "So how do you want me to help you?"

Yu Chen met “Liu Shaoge’s” eyes. She felt something was off in the man’s expression at this moment. "You’re a bit odd today."

Lu Yin's heart skipped a beat. Liu Shaoge had been able to instantly identify Lu Yin through his disguise because of his eyes, and Yu Chen was someone who stood on the same level as Liu Shaoge, at least when it came to intelligence. Both of the two were extraordinarily perceptive, and they were able to easily notice Lu Yin’s attempts at deception. Luckily, Yu Chen had not personally interacted with Lu Yin much in the past. "I've figured a few things out. How do you want to deal with Bai Zen?"

Yu Chen felt puzzled by the change she saw in Liu Shaoge's eyes, but was distracted from her train of thought at the mention of Bai Zen. "There isn’t any way to deal with him. The man’s become some kind of symbol. Even if the young master were still around, he would need to show him a modicum of respect. All I can do is work with you and help you improve your status. On the surface, I will act as your maid, but our true relationship will be that of allies."

Lu Yin felt confused. "What do you want with me?"

Yu Chen let out a helpless sigh. "Who else can I work with within the Celestial Frost Sect?"

She stared intensely into “Liu Shaoge’s” eyes once again. Lu Yin found her stare quite uncomfortable, but did not avert his gaze. Doing so would make the woman even more suspicious of him.

"You and I are the same kind of people. Most people in the Perennial World focus solely on cultivation, but you’re different. You make plans, but you also possess the ambition to see them through to the end. I can see that while something’s changed in your eyes today, your ambition to climb higher has only grown.” A trace of fierce determination burned in the woman’s eyes. “I need that sort of ambition. I can help you, and I’m the only one who can help you. I know Elder Xi Zi asked you to watch me and also that you have a good relationship with Elder Qing Xing, but they only regard you as a disciple of the Celestial Frost Sect Sect. They can’t help you. Only I can."

"In what way?" Lu Yin grew curious.

Yu Chen answered solemnly, "From disciples to elders, I know all sorts of secrets within this sect. As long as you agree to work with me, I can share those secrets with you to ensure that you will face no obstacles moving forward. I can even find a way for you to learn a secret technique. Aside from the Celestial Frost Sect, I even know secrets regarding the others of the four ruling powers. I secretly control a group of people who do my bidding, and you will also be able to use them in the future."

Lu Yin was convinced. Yu Chen’s cooperation was invaluable. She had once acted as Bai Shaohong's maid, and at that time, even Elder Qing Xing had needed to follow the woman’s orders. It was not strange at all for her to be privy to all sorts of secrets concerning the Celestial Frost Sect.

When Lu Yin had worked with Humility's Gate in Huaiyuan, he had once intercepted a group of children with innate gifts who had been secretly kidnapped by the Celestial Frost Sect. Those children were being taken to the Celestial Frost Sect’s Jade Valley to be trained into becoming Yu Chen’s jade butterflies. Given what Lu Yin had learned at that time, there had to be an unbelievable number of people with innate gifts under Yu Chen’s control. The numbers likely rivaled Shamrock Enterprise’s hidden seeds. Lu Yin fully believed the woman’s claims.

Liu Shaoge himself would also agree to cooperate with Yu Chen, as such an agreement would do nothing to harm him. Unfortunately for Yu Chen, she was speaking with Lu Yin disguised as Liu Shaoge. Lu Yin hoped to be able to eventually control Yu Chen in order to take advantage of her capabilities for his own benefit, but it was not yet time to try for that.

“You should go back," Lu Yin said.

Yu Chen was stunned. She had never imagined that Liu Shaoge might actually refuse her proposal. "What did you say?"

Lu Yin looked at Yu Chen. "I said, you should go back. I'll think about what you’ve said."

Yu Chen stared at “Liu Shaoge” in disbelief. "You’re refusing me?"action

Lu Yin shrugged, and then turned around without another word and stared up at the stars.

Yu Chen was unable to process what had just happened. "What the hell did Elder Xi Zi say to you? Apart from spying on me, he must have you doing some other task for him, as there’s no other way you would refuse my help."

Lu Yin remained silent while facing away from Yu Chen.

Yu Chen took a deep breath, and then continued in a softer voice. "Alright, it does indeed appear like I’ve indeed betrayed everyone close to me. Even the young master is dead. I can already guess what sort of fate awaits me. Since this is how things are, will you still refuse to work with me if I tell you I have a way to get in touch with Mistress Xian'er?"

Lu Yin whipped around and stared at Yu Chen. "What?"

Yu Chen muttered, "Mistress Xian'er. There’s no one in the entire Celestial Frost Sect who can get in touch with her directly, not even the sect master. However, I have a way to reach out to her."

Lu Yin stared at Yu Chen in a daze. "You can actually contact Bai Xian'er?"

Yu Chen's pupils shrank a nearly imperceptible amount, but then quickly returned to normal. She pushed her hair back. "I can only try, and I can’t say it will actually work. Think about it, Liu Shaoge. I truly do want to cooperate with you. I'll come back to speak with you tomorrow."

She then moved to leave.

Lu Yin set a hand on Yu Chen's shoulder. "What’s the rush? I can work with you. Give me some more details on how you’re hoping we can work together and how you can help me."

Yu Chen went stiff, and then slowly turned back around before answering in a rather monotone voice, "With my help, you’ll be able to learn a secret technique within ten years, and will be able to reach close to Dong Shan's level of strength. You will rise to become my Celestial Frost Sect’s top disciple."

"Ten years is too long." Lu Yin shook his head.

Yu Chen replied, "Your cultivation is too low right now, which is the biggest issue. There’s too much of a gap between you and Dong Shan. I can provide you with resources and a few shortcuts as you improve your level of cultivation, but ten years is already as fast as we can hope for.

"I’ve said too much, and I need to go now. It wouldn’t be good if someone sees me spending so much time with you."

Lu Yin smiled. "That’s funny, since it's too late for you to leave now."

Yu Chen looked confused. "What does that mean, Liu Shaoge?"

Lu Yin pulled out Zenith Mountain, grabbed Yu Chen, and then tossed her right in. "Liu Shaoge is already over there, so go chat with him."

On Zenith Mountain, Long Xi opened her eyes and looked up to see that a woman had just been thrown in. Long Xi did not pay much attention to the newcomer at first, as it was rather common for people to be sent into Zenith Mountain, or pulled back out. However, Long Xi leaped to her feet once she noticed who had been thrown in this time. "Yu Chen?"

Long Xi was not the only one to show such a strong reaction, as Yun Tingting, Liu Hao, Wen Diyi, and Crown Prince Gui Qian were all bug-eyed at this moment. Yu Chen was famous in the Perennial World, as everyone knew she acted on behalf of Bai Shaohong.

She had a completely different status than Liu Shaoge. No one from the Perennial World had expected to see Yu Chen get tossed into Zenith Mountain. Did this mean Lu Yin was back in the Perennial World?

Boom

Yu Chen gracelessly crashed into Zenith Mountain rather close to Liu Shaoge. He was leaning against a cliff, but watched Yu Chen’s arrival with open interest.

Yu Chen rose to her feet. She was in a terrible condition, but her expression completely changed as soon as she saw Liu Shaoge. She looked around to see the massive mountain rising up above her, as well as the barrier isolating her. "Where are we?"

Liu Shaoge rolled his eyes. "Lu Yin's private prison."

"Lu Yin? You mean Lu Xiaoxuan?" Yu Chen gnashed her teeth and suddenly glared at Liu Shaoge.

Liu Shaoge spread his hands in a helpless manner. "Don't look at me. I’m a prisoner, too."

Yu Chen looked up and screamed as loud as she could, "Lu Xiaoxuan, you despicable and shameless bastard! Let me out!"

Liu Shaoge just laughed. "Yu Chen, you’re a smart person. Do you really think you’ll be able to leave now that you’re here?"

Yu Chen’s breathing grew ragged, and her jaw clenched tightly. "That despicable, shameless bastard! He actually disguised himself as you to talk to me!"

Liu Shaoge’s eyebrows rose up. "You wanted to talk to me? Let me guess, you figured things out and wanted to cooperate?"

Yu Chen stared at Liu Shaoge in shock. "How did you know?"

Liu Shaoge sneered. "That’s your only option."

Yu Chen's expression grew dark.

"Looks like you told Lu Yin your terms to cooperate with me. Must have been pretty valuable, as there’s no other reason for him to risk capturing you at this time. What did you tell him? I’m quite curious," Liu Shaoge asked, his eyes blazing with interest.

Yu Chen said nothing. She was already feeling miserable about her situation, and she was not in the mood to say a thing after getting tricked by her greatest enemy.

At this moment, Long Xi appeared outside the barrier that isolated Yu Chen.

Yu Chen stared at the young woman in surprise. "Long Xi?"

Long Xi raised a hand as she stared at Yu Chen. There was a barrier separating the two, and while Long Xi knew she could shatter the barrier, she decided not to. It was clear that Lu Yin did not want them to come into close contact with Yu Chen. “What happened out there? Why did Long Qi capture you?"

Yu Chen gave Long Xi a very odd look. "Why are you here?"

Long Xi’s brow furrowed. "I’ve been stuck here ever since we went to the Dominion Realm."

"That doesn’t seem right," Yu Chen muttered. "Why would Lu Xiaoxuan capture you?"

Long Xi became confused. "Wait, what are you talking about? Lu Xiaoxuan?"

Yu Chen and Long Xi stared at each other for a long time. Finally, realization swept over Yu Chen, and she doubled over laughing. "So you don't know? Actually, that’s right! He lost his memory and you’ve been imprisoned this whole time, so of course you wouldn’t know! Hahahaha, this is perfect! He’ll live without his memories for the rest of his life! He’ll never remember his past! This is karma, hahaha!”

Long Xi’s eyes flashed, and she shot forward, destroying the barrier with a single fist to instantly reach Yu Chen. She grabbed a fistful of Yu Chen’s hair and coldly demanded, "What are you talking about? What about Lu Xiaoxuan?"

Wen Diyi and the others watched from a distance. All of them were confused.

Yu Chen sneered. "What? Your Long Qi didn’t tell you he’s actually Lu Xiaoxuan?"

Long Xi's pupils instantly shrank in disbelief.

Yu Chen laughed wildly. "You rejected my young master and gave your entire heart to Lu Xiaoxuan. Did you think the young master wouldn't know about that? This is perfect! Your beloved Lu Xiaoxuan doesn't give a shit about you any longer and even locked you up in here for years! How do you like that? Hahahaha, this is perfect! This is karma!"

Long Xi stumbled backwards, losing her composure. "Long Qi… Lu Xiaoxuan? How? Is it really him?"

Long Xi reviewed every tiny detail of her time with Lu Yin. It was true that Long Qi looked very similar to Lu Xiaoxuan, but were they actually the same person? How could that be possible?